I love to be outside & especially when I have my camera in hand. I was overly inspired the other brisk day here in Kansas so I grabbed Cali, my pup, my Canon with the larger lens, my stocking cap & some winter-like cheer. I walked slowly & aimlessly, aimless only in the sense of oncoming cars & people, as I was captivated by just about everything. It was one of those magical photo shoots- as they are not all this way! My heart pounded as my fingers started to freeze. I was in a race against the falling temperatures & the setting sun. My dog was getting irritated at her very short leash, necessary so I could hold the camera (sort of) steady, long enough to get the shot.
I was getting the feeling my neighbors thought I needed to be carefully observed with such a long lens- I did look a tad suspicious aiming the lens at stranger's windows. This didn't stop me. . .it rarely does. I remember one winter back in Milwaukee when I had stopped in my truck to snap a shot of a glorious, picturesque, winterized street & the owner of a house nearby followed me to my own house in his car where he sat, parking me in & waiting for me to emerge. I was a little freaked so I stalled my exit- feeling less vulnerable on the inside my Land Rover. Finally, I stepped out as the snow fell. He proceeded to ask me what I was doing. Me, I thought? How about what are you doing, sir? I live here, I informed the bloke. He said he saw me taking pictures of his house & wondered if I was casing the joint. HA! Me?! Casing him? I assured him I was not- that I was a photographer, simply taking pictures of 'his' street that was so beautifully blessed by nature.
I returned home with a bushel full of photographs & a quieted spirit. These are the results of that day:
